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Morocco accused of spying on its journalists with Israeli spyware
Morocco said Monday it "categorically rejects" claims its intelligence services had used Israeli spyware Pegasus to monitor critics at home and abroad, a government statement read. Rabat said it had "never acquired computer software to infiltrate communication...
Algeria-Morocco: Diplomatic tension over Moroccan diplomat’s support of Kabyle autonomy
Algeria recalled its ambassador in Morocco for consultations on Sunday as a new diplomatic spat broke out between the regional arch-rivals. The move came after Morocco's envoy to the United Nations, Omar Hilale, expressed support for self-determination for Algeria's...
A secret trial in Morocco
A Moroccan judge on Tuesday took the trial of journalist and rights activist Omar Radi behind closed doors, a move his supporters slammed as "a new violation". Radi has been in detention for almost a year on charges of espionage and rape which he denies. The judge in...
Morocco: Heightened migration crisis in western Med Sea
More than 300 migrants rescued off the coast of Morocco Morocco's navy has rescued 344 migrants, including women and children, after their makeshift boats ran into difficulty in the Mediterranean and Atlantic, the MAP news agency reported Thursday. It said the...
Morocco experiencing scorching heatwave
Morocco was hit by a fiery weekend heatwave that saw temperatures reach nearly 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), the country's weather service said on Monday. A statement from the General Directorate of Meteorology (GDM) said Saturday was "the hottest day,...
Moroccan journalist Raissouni sentenced to five years in jail
Detained Moroccan journalist Soulaimane Raissouni was sentenced on Friday to five years in jail for indecent assault against another man. Raissouni, editor-in-chief of now-defunct newspaper Akhbar Al Yaoum, denies the charge and has been on a hunger strike for 93...
Migrants: The deadly waters of the Western Mediterranean
Spiking sea crossings on makeshift boats lead to increase of undocumented Algerian migrants arriving in Spain and others drowning at sea The North Africa Journal - In just a few days, more than 1,100 Algerian undocumented migrants known in Algeria as Harragas have...
Morocco: Jailed journalist Soulaimane Raissouni in critical condition
A detained Moroccan journalist is "close to death" 76 days into a hunger strike, his family said as his trial resumed Tuesday in his absence. Soulaimane Raissouni, editor-in-chief of now-defunct newspaper Akhbar Al Yaoum, is accused of indecent assault against...
Migrant crisis: 3,000 mostly Moroccan migrants still inside Spain’s Ceuta
A month after more than 10,000 people surged across the Moroccan border into Ceuta, around 3,000 of them are still inside the Spanish enclave, the city's top official said Thursday. "We calculate that 3,000 people are still here -- both adults and minors -- of the...
Morocco: Military drills led by US underway, 30 miles from Algeria’s Tindouf border
Quiet on the media front After reading the AFP dispatch, I spent some time searching for a US Africom press release or statement of sort, and to my surprise not much can be found. No big text, no photos, no video, except for the content that was published months ago...
Morocco uses judicial harassment to punish journalists
Jailed Moroccan journalist tells judge: “I want to go back to die in prison." 11 June 2021: The trial of Moroccan journalist Soulaimane Raissouni, who has been on hunger strike for 64 days, was Thursday again postponed to June 15 after a tense hearing where his...
Western Sahara: Polisario chief leaves Spain to Algeria
The leader of Western Sahara's independence movement, whose presence at a Spanish hospital sparked a diplomatic row with Rabat, left Spain overnight and flew to Algeria, a government source said Wednesday. He's "in Algeria," the source told AFP. Late on Tuesday,...
Western Sahara: US’ Africom says no drills will take place in disputed Western Sahara
The US military on Tuesday denied a tweet by Morocco's prime minister that US-led African military exercises this month would take place in the disputed region of Western Sahara. Prime Minister Saad-Eddine El Othmani said last week on Twitter that the training "marks...
Western Sahara: Spanish court will not detain Polisario chief despite pressure from Morocco
By Marie Giffard A Spanish judge on Tuesday declined to order that the leader of Western Sahara's movement, who is under investigation in Spain for torture and genocide, be taken into custody. Brahim Ghali, who heads the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, denied the...
Morocco: Israir to link Tel Aviv to Marrakesh in July
Israir will launch direct flights between Israel and Morocco's Marrakesh in July, the Israeli carrier said on Tuesday, six months after the two countries reached a US-backed normalisation deal. "The first flight will take place on July 19 from Tel Aviv to Marrakesh,"...
Maghreb: Tension likely to rise in Maghreb after Morocco announced US military exercises to take place in Western Sahara
Morocco's prime minister has said that US-led multi-nation African military exercises this month would take place in the disputed desert region of Western Sahara. Last year, under former US president Donald Trump, Washington recognised Moroccan sovereignty over...
Polisario leader to testify remotely in Spanish court probe
The Western Sahara independence leader, whose presence at a hospital in Spain has angered Rabat, will testify by video conference at a Spanish court hearing next week, judicial sources said Wednesday. Brahim Ghali, who leads the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, has...
Morocco accelerates Covid vaccination campaign, targets prison population
Morocco has vaccinated nearly 4,000 inmates as part of a campaign launched in March to inoculate the incarcerated population against coronavirus, the kingdom's prison authority said Wednesday. The aim of the campaign, started several weeks after the national...
Morocco is finally about to legalize use of cannabis, but not for recreational purposes yet
Moroccan lawmakers on Wednesday approved a law legalising the therapeutic use of cannabis, bringing one of the world's biggest producers of hashish a step closer to green-lighting the major reform. The lower house of parliament adopted the text on the lawful use of...
Morocco: Despair and Western Sahara politics fuel migration drama in Morocco
Spain accuses Morocco of 'aggression' and 'blackmail' over migrant crisis Madrid, May 20, 2021 (AFP) - Spain's defence minister on Thursday accused Morocco of "aggression" and "blackmail" after more than 8,000 migrants poured into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta this...
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